Fun Fun Fun Fest 2012 (more by Glen Brown)

Sorry for the late post of this. Graham actually did send us this last year, but we forgot to post it!

We posted many year-end lists from artists and other people in the music world as 2012 came to a close (browse our "Best of 2012" tag) and this one comes from Fun Fun Fun Fest/Transmission Events booker Graham Williams who gave us a list of the "best stuff of 2012." A few albums make the list, as do some live shows in Austin and a certain reunited group that Graham booked at this year's FFF Fest.

You can check out the full list below...

Continue reading "Graham Williams' (FFF Fest/Transmission) Best Stuff of 2012"

photos by @griffinshot - Tim Griffin

I've been hounded for the last few weeks to do a 'best of' post for the shows I've been to and the pictures I've taken in 2012. After several false starts, I decided to just walk through chronologically and try and do justice to all of the wonderful shows without missing too much. Frankly I should be concentrating on posting all of the stuff I shot that never made it live instead of this (woops), but that is next on my list.

The pictures aren't meant to be exhaustive or all-inclusive of what was the best (I'm certain I've missed many things; I'm not even touching festival stuff, and I went to BELGIUM!), but here we go. Personally 2012 was quite the roller-coaster, and every show was a wonderful escape. Some of the shots may or may not be my best work - but if it's in here, then the show, band or bands there, venue and everyone else involved were some of my favorites for 2012 (at least up until November). Loved Gary Clark Jr. and Esperanza Spalding too, but since they are recent you'd find them easily enough.

Have at it. Pictures below. Apologies to anyone I've left out.

Continue reading "Tim's picks of his pics for 2012"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

At the Drive-In @ Coachella

Missed all the At The Drive-In reunion shows so far? Missed the Coachella Youtube stream too? Well, now you can watch the entire performance, along with pictures from their Coachella set and the setlist (if you haven't seen it already), below...

Continue reading "watch At The Drive-In's entire Coachella (week one) set (video, pics & setlist)"

UPDATE: COACHELLA HAPPENED (Coachella setlist at the link)

Cedric & friend @ Coachella (via alpha_q_up23)

At the Drive-In setlist from Capri in Marfa, TX (via Kindform)

After reunion shows in Austin and Dallas, At The Drive-In kept the Coachella warm up going with shows in Marfa (setlist pictured above) and at Tricky Falls in El Paso on Friday. El Paso Times says:

The 1,200-member crowd was packed in so tightly on the floor (the balcony was off-limits to all but friends and family) that it was hard to see well or fully enjoy what was going down on stage.
The sound mix, at least from my spot on the floor behind the sound board, tended to be bottom-heavy and muffled at times, making it hard occasionally to understand what Bixler Zavala said and difficult to distinguish Rodriguez Lopez's loopy guitar squiggles.

Speaking of Rodriguez, he did seem, as others have said, disengaged. The lefty guitarist wasn't the commanding presence he is with TMV (then again, Ward's been a frontman for the last 10 years). Instead, he quietly lurked around his third of the stage while the others seemed to interact more.
He didn't seem to really get into it until the last third of the set. I didn't see him smile until the set was almost over. Then again, I didn't see too many smiles up there. They were too focused. Bixler Zavala has suggested on Twitter that the guitarist is dealing with the death of his mother last month. If you've ever lost a parent you love, you can empathize.

While it was distracting and made you wonder at times, it didn't detract from what was going on onstage. As the sound mix improved, Rodriguez Lopez's sinewy guitar figures emerged on moodier songs, like "Quarantined" and "198d," which point to the direction he and Bixler Zavala would take with the more experimental TMV.
The performance itself, which the band recorded, sounded like a grizzly emerging from a long hibernation. ATDI isn't fully awake just yet, but you could hear the band shaking off the slumber as the set progressed.

UPDATE: COACHELLA HAPPENED

Continue reading "At The Drive-In streaming live from Coachella tonight, played Marfa & El Paso (setlists)"

by @griffinshot - Tim Griffin

From the At The Drive-In Twitter Account

As suspected, the points marked on the image of Texas are now all accounted for, as At The Drive-In announced their hometown El Paso show happening at Tricky Falls on Friday, April 13th.. Hopefully you were paying attention to the BVAustin twitter (or the band's or some other twitter) when the show was announced at 1PM, because if so, you might have a ticket to the gig which is now sold out.

The new El Paso show happens one day after the Marfa show. Both remaining TX shows happen before Coachella.

ATDI played Dallas last night, and Austin the night before that.

At The Drive-In @ Red 7 (more by Tim Griffin)

A few videos people took at last night's show...

Continue reading "video from At The Drive-In's Austin reunion show"

photos by @griffinshot - Tim Griffin

Cedric Bixler-Zavala of At The Drive In @ RED 7 on 4/9

After an opening set by Zechs Marquise, At the Drive-In played their first show since 2001 (as it said on the show poster) at Red 7 in Austin last night (4/9). It was also the first in a series of pre-Coachella warm up shows that continue in Dallas (tonight) and then Marfa.

According to show promoter Transmission Entertainment, the surprise gig sold out in 11 minutes after being announced via Twitter the other day. In addition to all those packed inside, there were many listening from the alley outside. Though some complained that Omar Rodriguez Lopez seemed a bit out of it (update: his mother recently passed away), the band was generally high energy with Cedric hanging from the rafters of the newly refurbished club, and the crowd going insane. If you haven't seen it already, take a look at the setlist, along with more pictures from the Austin reunion show, below....

Continue reading "At The Drive-In played their first show since 2001 @ Red 7 (pics/setlist)"

As promised, a Dallas show was announced. It happens April 10th (tomorrow) at Trees and tickets are on sale.

Meanwhile, Austin TONIGHT!

It looks like At The Drive-In, who play Red 7 in Austin Monday night (tonight, 4/9), and the Capri in Marfa on 4/12, aren't done announcing pre-Coachella TX warm up shows. Keep an eye on their twitter today (Monday, 4/9) at 1PM Central Time. Dallas and El Paso here they come?

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Walk away from the internet for an hour... and this happens!

At The Drive-In now have two Texas show scheduled before Coachella, one in Marfa, and one at Red 7 in Austin on MONDAY (4/9). Who got tix?

Hopefully you took that hint seriously and were quicker on the draw than we were because At The Drive-In did in fact add an April 12th pre-Coachella warm up show in Marfa, Texas... which is now sold out.

Feist is also playing a sold out show at Marfa Ballroom this month.

...along with the Quarantined lyric "A single spark can start a spectral fire ...." Was it a hint? An April Fools Joke? Just an ode to their home state? A tip on avoiding wildfires? What does it mean?!?!

Cedric was in El Paso that day.

At The Drive-In play Coachella later this month, and though some overseas dates were announced, there are still no other U.S. shows announced.

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In other reunited bands playing Coachella news, Refused just played surprise show in Sweden. Check out video HERE.

Well we can't say for sure, but now that the El Paso band are back together (!!!!!), it definitely seems like a strong possibility that Coachella is in the cards for At The Drive-In. UPDATE: It's true!

As far as Austin goes, here's hoping for at least one regular show in addition to any festivals too. And if they do play an Austin festival, please let it be a headlining slot at Fun Fun Fun Fest.